麻豆约拍

To celebrate Bookclub's 20th anniversary, the programme has invited guest authors to choose a highlight from the extensive Bookclub archive. In this edition Lionel Shriver has chosen English Passengers by Matthew Kneale.

Lionel Shriver also talks about her own appearance on Bookclub to discuss We Need to Talk about Kevin. The group of readers were dismayed when she refused to answer questions about whether the protagonist of the novel, the teenage Kevin, was born evil. And she describes how much English Passengers made her laugh and pleads for its author, Matthew Kneale, to please write another book.

English Passengers won Whitbread Book of the Year in 2000. It is narrated by 20 different characters and tells the story of a voyage to look for the Garden of Eden in Tasmania and the rapid decline of that island's indigenous population of Tasmanian Aborigines. James Naughtie, author Matthew Kneale and readers discuss this rampant and ambitious piece of writing that deals with big ideas like radical theory, genocide and Darwinism, yet is hilarious too.

Produced by Dymphna Flynn

First broadcast in 2006

Bookclub at 20 is produced for 麻豆约拍 Radio 4 Extra by Belinda Naylor.